Draft-equalizer.



No. 868,861. I PATENTED OCT. 22. 1907.

0. HOLM.

DRAFT EQUALIZER.

urmcnron rmm MAR. 25. 1001.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H45 uosms PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, n-p.

No. 868,861. 7 PATENTED OCT. 22. 1907.

0. HOLM.

DRAFT EQUALIZER. APPLICATION rmm MAR. 25. 1901.

2 SHEETSSHBET 2.

THE NuRRls PETERS 5a., wnsnmcrcu, n. c.

OFFICE.

OLE HOLM, OF MADISON, MINNESOTA.

DRAFT-E QUALIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 001;. 22, 1907.

Application filed March 25,1907. Serial No. 364,447.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLE Homu, a subject of the King of Norway, residingat Madison, in the county of Lac qui Parle, State oi'hlinnesota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Equalizers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a lull, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to drait equalizers and more particularly to thatclass which are designed lor use when it is desired to employ two teamsof horses in connection with a single pole.

One of the disadvantages to be found in the present devices of thisclass is that when it is only desired to use one team of horses,considerable difiiculty is experienced for the reason that there is toogreat a degree of lost motion or play between the draft devices in useand the equalizer element for the draft devices which are not in use.

My invention therefore has forits primary object to provide means forholding the equalizer elements, when the front team oi horses is notemployed, in the same position that they would be held in the actual useof the extra team.

Further features of the invention reside in novel cn structions ofvarious parts of the device.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view oi a pole showingthe application of my invention, Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View thereof,Fig. 3 is a side elevation, Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view throughone of the hammer straps which serve to hold the equalizer bars to themain equalizer bar, and, Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the rearportion of the pole showing the arrangement of parts when only the rearteam of horses is employed.

Referring more specifically to the drawings the numeral l0 denotes avehicle pole and 11 the main equal izer bar of my device which bar ispivotally mounted upon the upper face of the pole. Hammer strapsincluding portions 12 which lie above the main equalizer beam at itsends also have portions which extend beneath the beam and these latterportions are bent downwardly as at 13 and thence forwardly as at 14 inspaced relation to the under side of the beam and for the receptiontherebetween and the beam of equalizer bars 15, there being pivot bolts16 engaged through the ends of the portions 12 and 14 of the hammerstraps, the ends of the beam, and the bars 15. As an additional supjectthe equalizer bars port and guide for the equalizer bar there aresecured guide brackets 17 between the connecting which and the underportions of side of the equalizer beam pro- 15. To the outer ends ofthese bars are connected swingle trees 18.

Slidably mounted in the bracket 19 upon the under side of the pole is arod 20 and this rod is provided at its rear end with an eye 21 in whichare engaged hooks 22 carried at the free ends of chains 23 which chainsare connected with the inner ends of the equalizer bars 15. It will beunderstood of course that by reason of this construction, the hooks 22may be disengaged irom the eye member 21 under certain conditions whichwill be presently explained. The rod 20 is also provided at its forwardend with an eye 24 with which is removably engaged a hook 25 carried atthe rear end of a chain 26. This chain is secured to the middle of adouble tree 27 with the ends of which are connected swingle trees 28.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that the weight of theload will be equally distributed between the four horses drawing thesame. Should it however be desired to employ only the rear team ofhorses, the hooks 22 may be disengaged from the eye 21 at the rear endof the rod 20 and engaged, alter being crossed with eyes 29 secured uponthe forward edge of the equalizer beam 11 it being understood that whenthe hooks are so engaged the chains will be stretched to practically thesame degree as when both teams of horses are employed and that hence thedrawing of the vehicle by the single team will not be interfered with.

What is claimed is The combination with a vehicle pole, of an equalizerbeam pivoted upon the pole, equalizer bars pivoted beneath the equalizerbeam, draft elements connected with the equalizer bars at their outerends, a rod slidably' mounted upon the under side of the pole, said rodbeing provided at its rear end with an eye, chains connected with theinner ends of the equalizer bars, hooks carried at the free ends of thechains and cngagonblo with the eye at the end of the rod, a chainconnected to the forward end of the rod, :1 draft element connected withthe chain, and eye members secured upon the forward edge of theequalizer beam with which the hooks carried by the first mentionedchains may be engaged.

In testimony whereof, I ailix my of two witnesses.

signature in presence OLE HOLM. Witnesses 0. ELIAS I-Lwen, AMUND I'Inom.

